# girocard

> <p><strong>Ownership:</strong> Privately held<br><strong>Pricing:</strong> Per-transaction fees significantly lower than credit cards. Often passed-through as 'EC-Karte' surcharges historically.<br><strong>Known for:</strong> German national debit card scheme, operated by Die Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft (the German banking association). 100M+ cards in circulation. Used for nearly all domestic POS transactions where Germans don't pay cash. Often co-branded with Mastercard/Visa for cross-border use. The reason Germans say 'EC-Karte' when they mean debit. A national scheme that quietly processes more German retail volume than Visa and Mastercard combined.<br><a href="https://www.girocard.eu">https://www.girocard.eu</a></p>

https://www.girocard.eu